SCRIPTURE:
"Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God's Holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:1-2, NIV)

Approach Question:
"What label do you give yourself?"

Observations:
I asked myself how does Paul address those receiving the letter at Philippi?

1. To all God's Holy people
2. To the overseers
3. To the deacons

Interpretation:
I asked myself what does 'God's Holy people' mean?
What came to my mind is that these are people that are set apart for Christ Jesus. They are not their own anymore.

Why is it significant that Paul addresses the people of Philippi as 'God's Holy people' instead of 'sinners'?
It is so significant that Paul addresses the people of Philippi as God's Holy people not because of any good things they have done on their own to achieve this title but because of Christ's righteousness being imputed to them as a result of the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary. That means when God looks at the Philippians, no matter how marred their earthly life looks because of their shortcomings or sin, God can only see the righteousness of Christ covering over them by His precious blood. God seeing Christ in them whom they have accepted will make them God's Holy people because of Christ's finished work. What an awesome feeling and freeing feeling it must have been to the Philippians to be labeled as God's Holy people instead of sinners because of Christ's love for them and what Jesus did on the cross for them hundreds of years ago.

Implications:
I asked myself what are the implications for my own life?

 I don't have to live my life thinking 'woe is me, I am bound to sin so be it because it is human nature.' Instead I can rest in the assurances of my Lord and Personal Savior Jesus Christ who will sanctify me daily setting me apart for His purposes not because of my own ability but because of His ability working in me and through me. I can be rest assured that God sees me as Holy. Thank you Jesus! Now, 'I don't have to use 'it is human nature as an excuse to sin and be okay about it'. It does not have to be that way because of Christ.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—" (Ephesians 1:3-5, NIV)

"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." (Ephesians 5:3-4, NIV)  

"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant." (Colossians 1:21-23, NIV)

I can now see myself as Holy and be Holy because of Jesus Christ and what He already did for me on the cross of Calvary as I yield my life over to Christ daily and ask Him to lead and guide my path every step of the way. You can too friend!

I ASK YOU!
I ask you now dear friend, why should you believe you are H.O.LY instead of a sinner?
Dear friend, you have the free will to label yourself with whatever label you want but it is important to remember that the label we give ourselves also defines us many times. As a follower of Christ, if you keep thinking to yourself that 'I am bound to sin because of my human nature so I cant help it with the sins I commit' then you will live your life in sin because you are depending on your own ability and have given yourself a label to abide by that you are a sinner who cannot change. This is not what Jesus wants for you as His follower. He wants you to see yourself as Holy, being set apart for the Lord to do His work. Let us not forget that only Christ the Lord can make us Holy and help us live a life of Holiness. It cannot be accomplished any other way. I praise you Lord! You should live with the confidence that you are being sanctified daily set apart for the Lord :)

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9, NIV)

Yes, friend, you have been called out of darkness into His wonderful light so that you can have a new beginning when you yield yourself to Christ and live your life that way. He asks you to be Holy and think of yourself as Holy not because you can do it on your own but He wants to work in you and through you and can do it for you.  That is exciting to know!

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:1-2, NIV)

Elder Calvin, our former small group leader of Transformers made this verse our signature verse that defined Transformers small group of Oakland International Fellowship few years ago.

As followers of Christ, we are being sanctified daily from the sin that burdens us and holds us captive in different areas but that does not mean we live our life with the label of being sinners who are bound to do bad stuff but instead we should see ourselves as being set apart for the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a new creation in Christ Jesus. This in itself is amazing that the Lord Jesus chose us in our weaknesses to becomes His vessels of reconciliation to a world marred in sin and captivity making us a new creation in Him taking away the old. When we do mess up, we can have the assurance that when we acknowledge our mess up before the Lord, He will forgive us and set us on the right path. We can also be assured when we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh :)

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, NIV)

"If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:6-9, NIV)

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want." (Galatians 5:15-17, NIV)

Friend, let us not forget that we are either a slave to Satan or slave to Christ, for we cannot have it both ways. When we give ourselves to Christ, we can be Holy, being set apart for the Lord instead of living a life of sin using the excuse, 'woe is me, I am only human'. No friend, we have victory in Jesus Christ to help us through! Praise the Lord!

"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:15-23, NIV)

May you all be seen as hearts opening loving Yeshua!

"Heart Open Loving Yeshua! (H.O.L.Y)"/"Why should you believe you are H.O.L.Y instead of a sinner?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for dying on the cross for my sin to redeem me and save me by the power of your precious cleansing blood. Thanks so much Jesus when anyone turns to you and gives you their life surrendering all that they are and will be to you, you will forever see them as your Holy people instead of sinners. This means a lot to me Jesus because I know you will accept me in Heaven because God will see your righteousness imputed to me. Thanks so much Jesus. Thanks I can live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life because of the Holy Spirit's work in my life. You are my all in all and I need your help daily to live a life of Holiness for this is what you want for me. Thank you so much Jesus. Help me Jesus. I love you Jesus and accept you as my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you when I mess up, you are there to set me on the right path when I confess and repent of my sin before you. You are a God of love who cleanses me of all my sin and gives me a new start. Thank you for Romans 7 that explains the struggle between our sin and Romans 8 where we find our freedom in you. Thanks again for teaching me about the importance of how I label myself. I need to label myself your way. Thanks Jesus. Thank you my identity can be found in you! Thank you for coming into my heart and making my heart your home when I ask you to be part of my life forever. Thanks Jesus for living in me and for the new life. Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!